With the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicking off this weekend, MX Sports hosted several preseason activities yesterday to get riders in front of the media, including a ride day at Fox Raceway at Pala and a Zoom press conference a few hours later for top riders in both the 250 and 450 Classes. Several title contenders were in the two respective press conferences, including Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman, and Red Bull KTM’s Max Vohland. All three riders are aiming to be podium threats each week heading into this summer. Here is what the trio had to say during the press conference.
#30 Jo Shimoda | 5th in 2021 250 Class
Jo, in an Instagram post that you made after Denver, you kind of talked about needing more than fourth place and you were staying positive about where you were at. I just wanted to ask how your supercross results play into your mental preparation for outdoors? If they serve as motivation for a win? If it’s encouragement that you can stay consistent? Or if you still feel like that win is just out of reach?
Jo Shimoda: For sure, the results that I had in supercross seems to be pretty far from winning. I think a lot of guys think the same way. But the season is over, and outdoors is a whole different thing. Just want to start a new season with good energy and we’ll see what happens.
Supercross was kind of a rough start and we did see some flashes there. Are there lessons learned from supercross to have this motocross season be a little more even across the board? You’re usually known as a consistent guy, but we saw more ups and downs in supercross than usual.
Yeah, it surprised me too, honestly. I thought I was in control, but I realized I wasn’t. Kind of was finding the balance in the middle of the season. Then I ended up going on the ground. When you get injured, you can’t really do much. You have to wait and regroup again. After my injuries, I kind of refocused. I think I was better at controlling myself. I did what I could. I didn’t really have preparation time until Seattle, but I just did what I could do. I feel like each race I got better and better. The result didn’t show, but just have to keep trying.
#29 Michael Mosiman | 8th in 2021 250 Class
Michael, having a strong supercross season like you did, what’s your mindset? What are your goals for this summer heading into Pro Motocross?
Michael Mosiman: This is like to share the goals, to not share the goals… It was totally a great supercross season. I feel like I have a lot to just build on. I learned so much in the supercross season. I’m really just excited to reset the points and go for it again. My bike outdoors, we made hardly any changes from last year and I just feel really comfortable. I have a really good feel with the front end under braking. I was just complimenting the guys today. I think we have a really good machine. I was strong into outdoors last year and kind of carried that momentum on top of supercross. I just feel like I have a wave that I’ve been riding. We’re just going to keep riding it out. I will share my goals. I haven’t fully set them in stone, but the goal is to win five races this summer and to finish third or better in the championship. So, super excited. I think that’s well within reach. Five races ought to put me right where I want to be. Keep moving up.
Unlike your other two brand-mates, with Max [Vohland] on KTM and then RJ [Hampshire] on the Husky, your bike is completely unchanged this year. Like you said, you’re not even touching a clicker from last year’s setup. How is that, to have a variable taken out? Something you don’t have to get so distracted in, so you can work towards those goals, like I said, of finishing in the top three of the overall and chasing five wins? It’s just one less thing you really have to put your mind to.
Yeah. Exactly. I think you said it well. We have made some changes. We changed the forks. Got a stiffer setting in the forks, and that was huge. As a general principle, we’ve changed very little. I think it’s huge because I have so much time on this bike that I know exactly what it’s going to do. I have so much confidence to push it and to really find the edge, because I know exactly where the edge is, and I know exactly how it’s going to respond. I know exactly when it’s going to kick and when it’s not going to kick. That comfort and then the amount of motos I did when supercross went east and I was a West Coast rider. When you have the same setting and you just do lap after lap after lap and you don’t really get caught in the weeds, it’s a big deal. Even out here the past two weeks, it’s like you’re the only guys who are kind of testing around and trying to find something that they like, as far as on my team and the others I presume as well. I was just getting my motos in. I feel like I’m really in rhythm already, and that’s a big deal.
Like you said, you have a lot of history on this bike, even back to the Husqvarna days, which is a little bit different but the same. Do they ever come to you with something that you want to change? How do you not get caught up in the whole, we can make the bike perfect, or we can make it better? How do you keep that in mind?
That’s a great question. There’s different theories on it. There’s one theory where if there’s one percent better that we can get the bike, then let’s go after one percent better, because those one percent add up and they make a difference. But there’s another perspective that the better you know your bike, even if it’s not perfect and it’s got some things that aren’t just exactly how you want it, but if you know it and you’re happy with it and you’re comfortable, then part of it is just leave them alone. So, that’s a balance. I think those are two different views. In years past I think I would have gone for the one percent. If it’s better, let’s try it. We have tried a little bit, but very, very little. We’re kind of just going with the ideology of let’s get really familiar. Let’s know the bike. I trust it. We know it’s good and it performed last year. There’s no reason why I can’t go out and perform at a high level this year on the same bike.
#36 Max Vohland | 9th in 2021 250 Class
Max, we missed you a little bit at the end of supercross, so just give us an idea of your status. Are you ready to go, or still on the mend?
Max Vohland: I’m definitely ready now. I had a little bit of an injury towards the end of the supercross season. Not ideal. Definitely had about three or four weeks on the bike now, so putting in some good work. I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot with the bike and the team and my conditioning and endurance and strength. I’m looking forward to Pala. Of course, last year was good for me. Just try and do the same thing I did last year but try and finish it off that first moto.
You led laps last year and you continued this great tradition of some young kid in the 250 class coming out and setting the tone. After leading so many laps in an amateur race, how different is it to do it as a pro? What was that sensation like? When the engine did let go, how much did you feel either a weight off your shoulders or a burden or anything like that?
Honestly, the difference from leading a bunch of amateur races to leading that first race last year was no different to me. I kind of related it back to being at Loretta’s and just trying to click laps in and keep going. It was unfortunate that the bike broke. Honestly, I rode so good that first moto for my first professional outdoor moto ever, that I really wasn’t too bummed about it. I had good pace and I was up front for a while. Then even the second moto was still good for me. So, I wasn’t too bummed on the bike failure. It definitely sucked. My overall result kind of hurt it a little bit, for sure. But it was good. It felt pretty similar to me, so I’m pretty used to it.
It was a rough season for you at times in supercross, even before the injury. Where is your confidence coming into this? Are you looking forward to a reset, or is some of that still lingering as you try to get back on track here?
Of course, supercross was kind of a disaster, you could say. It didn’t go in any way to plan that we wanted it to go. But stuff happens. You have a tough season and you’ve just got to forget about it. I had some good results in outdoors last year and finished my last round with my best result. So, I’m just going to pretend that supercross didn’t happen and the last race I did was Hangtown last year. I’m just going to go from there and try and carry that momentum into this first round. I got two local races for my first two rounds, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m confident on outdoors. I know I can ride outdoors fast and hard for 30 minutes two times. So, I’m looking forward to it. I feel good.
Watch the full preseason 250 Class press conference below:
Main image by Spencer Owens
